Wondering what exercises to recommend to your pregnant clients? Research confirms the benefits for women who continue exercising throughout their pregnancies, but important modifications are needed to make it both safe and comfortable. In this second installment of a two-part series, learn which cardio options are best during pregnancy and how social support can help women during this major life transition.

Some might say that Arnold Schwarzenegger has inspired more people to participate in bodybuilding—and possibly even strength training in general—than anyone else. While his body-building approach could be considered decidedly old-school, there are still huge benefits to be had from following a high-volume strength-training program. Check out this Arnold-inspired workout regimen, which is not only effective, but can also help satisfy the primal urge to lift heavy stuff.

Which is more effective: steady-state exercise or high-intensity interval training? The answer, of course, depends on an individual’s goals and preferences. Learn about the unique advantages and drawbacks to each type of exercise to better determine which approach is best for both you and your clients.

An effective nutrition plan is key to helping clients achieve their weight-loss and muscle-gain goals. Habitual and binge drinkers could be unknowingly derailing their efforts due to alcohol’s significant effects on the body. Learn how alcohol affects everything from the immune and endocrine systems to dehydration, and why it’s vital that both you and your clients to understand the impact of alcohol on muscle gains.

Performing a full, unassisted pull-up is a challenging task for most people, because it involves moving the entirety of your own bodyweight up against gravity. It also takes incredible upper-body strength and trunk stability. Here are four exercises that should be a part of your routine if your goal is to complete this essential movement pattern without assistance.

The role of a personal trainer is to help clients live healthier lives. We are failing at our mission if we design exercise programs that are so challenging that our clients don’t feel comfortable working out on their own. Machine-based strength-training programs can be a great way for clients to build muscle and maintain a consistent exercise program, even when they aren’t training with you every day. Here are six benefits of machine-based training that can help you reconsider whether it’s wort

Research confirms the benefits for women who continue exercising throughout their pregnancies, but important modifications are needed to make it both safe and comfortable. Learn about the best exercise choices for prenatal fitness. In this first installment of a two-part series, learn about precautions specific to pregnancy and effective exercises that can help counteract some of the common physical issues of pregnancy.

Eating healthfully doesn’t have to be expensive—if you know which items to choose and which ones to avoid when you’re doing your grocery shopping. Whether you're cooking for one or a family of four, here are four recipes that are both nutritious and delicious, and cost less than $5 per serving.

The push-up is a great exercise for improving upper-body and core strength, both of which are essential for being able to do a wide range of daily activities, from picking up groceries to playing with your kids. Of course, mastering the push-up takes time, but it’s definitely worth the effort. Here are a few moves to help you improve your ability to perform the traditional push-up.

The Bulgarian Bag is a unique and versatile piece of equipment that allows for a wide range of movements. Here are three great exercises that will challenge the whole body, particularly the muscles of the core.

Have you noticed that when certain situations arise, your inner voice and thoughts are often automatic? What if you could change your automatic patterns? ACE Certified pro Jonathan Ross explains how to start recognizing when negative thought patterns take hold and how to break the cycle and redirect your thoughts to something more positive and constructive.

There is no shortage of nutrition myths out there—and chances are many of your clients still believe them. From gluten-free diets to getting enough calcium, help set the record straight on these five nutrition myths that research has shown to be outdated or just plain wrong.

Acquiring and retaining clients is a common concern of health and fitness professionals. You can create added value for your services by systematically changing the volume and intensity of your clients’ exercise programs. Here are seven compelling reasons why you should apply the science of periodization to develop long-term programs that are dynamic, challenging and effective.

Every day new technology is making the administration and delivery of personal-training services faster and easier. Here are the five essential tools for the independent trainer that will help minimize some of the tasks that, although essential to your business, keep you from spending more time with clients.

Tired of doing burpees all the time? There’s no question they are effective, but doing the same movement over and over can get monotonous. ACE pro Jonathan Ross presents three burpee alternatives that deliver similar full-body benefits.

Looking for an appealing way to add more leafy greens to your diet? The Nutrition Twins have the answer—green smoothies. They explain their tried-and-true formula for making delicious and nutritious green smoothies and present some super-easy recipes for you to try at home.

Do you view sleep as unproductive time? The truth is sleep is as important for your health as what you choose to eat and the exercise you do. It’s time to make a mental shift and view sleep as an investment in our health. Learn how sleep directly affects your weight and your performance during the day—and how you can optimize your sleep for better overall health and wellbeing.

Tight hips are a common problem, particularly among people who spend a lot of time sitting during the day. Yoga is an ideal form of exercise to open tight and stiff hips. Check out these yoga asanas, which are effective for increasing both mobility and flexibility in the hips.

If you own your personal-training business, you know that maintaining a steady flow of income is essential to your success. Monthly packages offer both personal trainers and clients significant benefits over session packages. Learn how to use value, ease of use and social validation to convince your clients to buy in to this increasingly popular form of billing within the fitness industry.

What does it really take to live a happy, full-filling life? Research suggests that happiness is the result of the convergence of three things: emotional contentment, engagement and meaning. ACE pro Jonathan Ross explains some of the science behind positive psychology, along with practical questions and techniques you can use with your clients to help them identify their personal keys to greater happiness.

If your classes are starting to feel a little empty this summer, you’re not alone. This time of year leaves even the most loyal class participants with less-predictable attendance patterns, which leads to lower-than-normal numbers in our classes. Here are a few ideas to encourage class participants to stay put and help keep numbers up during the summer.

Are your clients following the right strength-training program to achieve their fitness goals? Knowing what type of training program to use essential to helping your clients find success. Learn about the different types of strength along with guidelines on how to design training programs to achieve each that outcome.

If you’re thinking about opening your own fitness studio, there are several crucial factors to consider to ensure you’re ready to make the leap. Get the best tips from the Association of Fitness Studios (AFS) to help you offer your clients and members the best possible experience, while successfully launching your new fitness business.

Kids need to move to stay healthy and develop the physical literacy they need to become healthy, active adults. Learn how you can help kids develop foundational motor abilities (FMAs) by using drills and games that make movement fun and effective and will help them become more competent and confident with movement for life.

Summer is ideal for grilling up tasty and healthy meals, but you may be unknowingly increasing your exposure to harmful carcinogens created when meats are cooked for too long. Learn how to limit your exposure to these chemicals and still take advantage of all the wonderful foods the season has to offer.

Super sets can be a great way to create new strength-training challenges for your clients. Time-efficient and super effective, this opposing super set workout takes just 20 minutes to complete and, with little-to-no rest between each exercise, it includes a cardio component that keeps the heart rate up throughout the workout.

Physically confident and competent children are active for life, but far too many of America’s youth are physically inactive. As a health and fitness professional, you are in a great position to help kids become more physically active and, as a result, more physically literate. Learn about the foundational building blocks that are essential to helping children develop physical literacy.

Gone are the days where you need to know someone’s age to recommend heart-rate training intensities. Today, instead of having to rely on formulas, we have field tests that measure specific points where the physiological response to exercise intensity shifts. Learn how you can utilize these more accurate methods to help your clients safely and effectively achieve their health and fitness goals.

Squatting is a foundational movement that most of us perform every day without even thinking about it. And yet this exercise can be a challenge for some people. Learn how to help your clients master the basic body-weight squat before progressing to more challenging moves that will strengthen the muscles of the lower body and improve their ability to perform this foundational movement.

Physical inactivity is a widespread problem in America, particularly among kids. As a health and fitness professional, you are likely driven to help people of all ages enjoy the benefits of a physically active lifestyle. This 6-part blog series offers a step-by-step approach to rebuilding physical literacy so you can help youngsters develop the skills necessary to be active for life.

It’s time to let go of the outdated belief that all fats are bad and the best meal plan is a low-fat diet. Learn why embracing a healthy diet for yourself and clients—one that is rich in good fats and limits bad fats—is essential for improving health and overall well-being.

While all exercise provides general health benefits, doing resistance training with heavy weights is one of the quickest ways to achieve a wide range of health and appearance benefits. Learn more about these benefits and how you can help your clients achieve them through heavy-resistance training.

It can be a challenge to come up with new ways to help your clients safely and effectively achieve their strength goals. Here’s a technique that originated in the former Soviet Union that has proven extremely effective: lifting just five reps at a time. Check out this 5 x 5 workout that can help improve both strength and, when combined with proper skills practice, sport-specific performance as well.

You’ve just started a new workout routine or you reached a new PR with your current program and you’re feeling sore—really sore. What’s the best way to approach your recovery—being completely inactive or performing active recovery? ACE pro Jonathan Ross explains the differences between passive and active recovery and offers guidelines on how to effectively prepare for your next workout.

A strong core is essential to a stable and mobile body. To challenge the entire core—and not just the abdominals—it is best to use a variety of stances and to incorporate a wide range of movements. Check out these six exercises that target the abdominals, back muscles, glutes and upper legs, and were designed to help improve movement efficiency and prevent injury.

Trainers who are neither vegans or vegetarians—but train clients who are—may be concerned about their clients’ dietary choices and whether these will affect how they respond to exercise. Here is a basic primer on plant-based eating that can help you understand the specific needs of your vegan and vegetarian clients—and better help them reach their health and fitness goals.

Teaching group fitness means making adjustments to your plans on the fly, especially when stereo equipment malfunctions or you don’t have time to eat a meal between classes. Fill your backpack or duffel with these 8 essential back-up tools and you will be better prepared to adapt to any situation.

Stability and mobility are essential to avoiding injury and creating a balanced body that moves efficiently. This second installment of a two-part series on how to improve stability and mobility throughout the body focuses on exercises for the lower body, including the hips, knees, ankles and feet.

You know plyometric exercises are great for the lower body, but did you know you could also use plyometrics to increase upper-body strength and power as well? Requiring only a medicine ball or sandbag, these explosive upper-body exercises involve the entire body and can help your clients improve upper-body power for everything from swinging a racquet or golf club to picking up a child or carrying heavy bags of groceries.

Starting a business in the fitness industry requires a lot of time, planning, and support from others who have been there. In a new video series created in partnership with the Association of Fitness Studios, experienced ACE Certified Pros share tips and stories about their personal entrepreneurial paths. Whether you are a new or experienced business owner, or you're debating whether to embark on your own, these videos provide some great insight.

It doesn’t have to be flu season for the body’s immune system to need immune-boosting nutrition to fight off the latest bug. Learn why including a variety of healthful and nutritionally dense foods in your meals, combined with regular exercise, is an effective way to stay healthy all year long.

While salt can make foods taste great, too much of it can lead to a variety of health issues. Learn how too much sodium affects your organs and why creating a well-rounded meal plan that limits salt intake can help ensure that your body functions at optimal levels now and for years to come.

Ready to get a whole-body, heart-pumping workout that increases cardio and strength and boosts metabolism—all in the most efficient way possible? Check out this high-intensity interval training (HIIT) circuit that will help you burn lots of calories and put your metabolism in high gear well after your workout is over.

Active seniors are dramatically changing what it means to grow older. And exercise—for both the mind and body—plays a huge role in how active those later years can be. In the second installment of his two-part series, ACE Certified pro Lawrence Biscontini offers some of his favorite exercises for helping active aging clients improve both their physical and mental activities of daily life.

What is the secret to helping clients stay motivated and on track to achieve their goals? ACE pro Shannon Fable believes that helping clients celebrate small victories while working toward larger goals is key to helping clients believe those goals are within reach. Whether your clients want to lose weight or simply increase their fitness, these secrets to perpetual motivation will help your clients build the intrinsic motivation that only comes through increased self-confidence.

Strong glutes are essential for being able to move well, in both life and sport. And while we need to be able to move in all planes of motion, glute exercises like walking lunges and squats focus primarily on sagittal plane movements. Here are six multiplanar drills that are extremely effective for increasing mobility and building power and strength, while also creating strong, shapely glutes.

Many people are reluctant to take up running because it can be physically painful. However, unless your client has an injury or musculoskeletal issue that prevents him or her from running, it is a safe activity to add to one’s fitness routine. Here are a few tips you can offer clients that can help them improve their running economy and decrease their risk of injury.